WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Oct. 17

WWE put together the biggest NXT ever last week, delivering the biggest television rating since 2019, as reported by Fightful.

The October 17 show did not have Cody Rhodes, John Cena, The Undertaker or Asuka, but it did have the same great NXT talent.

Following his huge main event victory in the previous week, Carmelo Hayes battled Dijak and Baron Corbin to determine the No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship against Ilja Dragunov at Halloween Havoc.

The card also included a match booked by Cody Rhodes: the Bada Bing Bada Boom Battle Royal. The top teams in NXT would compete for a shot at Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo.

Lyra Valkyria faced an important test before competing with Becky Lynch, when she challenged Tegan Nox one-on-one. The Women's Breakout Tournament also continued.

While this show was likely to be less exciting than last week, NXT still had some big moments planned with Halloween Havoc starting next Tuesday.

Bada Bing Bada Boom Battle Royal

After a high energy Battle Royal, it came down to three teams.

The Creed Brothers eliminated Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, but the referees did not see it. Angel and Humberto got back in the ring and eliminated the Creeds in front of the officials.

However, the Creed Brothers made their rivals pay by tripping Garza and setting up Humberto to get stacked up by Andre Chase for a surprise three-count.

Chase U always sneaks into victories in these situations, despite rarely being involved with the tag team division. But Andre Chase and Duke Hudson remain two of the most over men in NXT, so it works.

The Family vs. Chase U will be fun. The two charismatic teams can pop a crowd and will sell the Performance Center audience on every near-fall.

This Battle Royal built up some new rivalries such as The Brawling Brutes vs. OTM while continuing key stories in the tag team division like The Creed Brothers vs. Angel and Humberto. It was successful.

Result

Chase U last def. Angel and Humberto by pinfall to earn an NXT Tag Team Championships match at Halloween Havoc.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo watched from the stage while eating spaghetti.
  
• Damon Kemp was eliminated immediately by Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, eliminating Drew Gulak as well.
• Scrypts got involved to take out The Brawling Brutes but also accidentally eliminated OTM.
• Jacy Jayne and Thea Hail came out with pom-poms for the closing section of the match.
  

Trick Williams Adds Himself to No. 1 Contender Match

Baron Corbin and Dijak interrupted Carmelo Hayes and staked their claim for the NXT Championship.

Ilja Dragunov told everyone that the Triple Threat was actually a Fatal 4-Way, including Trick Williams.

While Melo was shaken by the surprise announcement, he stood by Trick and cleared the heels from the ring with him.

After a week of putting over Hayes as the top babyface in NXT, WWE is already going right back to teasing him turning on Trick. It makes little sense for John Cena to back Hayes if the plan was for his friend to become the top babyface of the gold brand instead.

This whole segment felt pretty unnecessary. No one cut a promo that sold them more as a challenger for the NXT Championship. In fact, the delivery just took the spotlight away from Corbin and Dijak as the most likely winners.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Blair Davenport challenged Gigi Dolin to a rematch at Halloween Havoc. Dolin raised the stakes by spinning the wheel and making their match Lights Out.
  
• The former Brian Pillman Jr. officially announced his new name: Lexis King.
• Melo confronted Trick backstage. They did not look to be on the same page about the NXT Championship opportunity.
• Someone attacked Trick backstage, and he was sent to a local medical facility. This meant he would not wrestle in the main event.
• Later in the night, Nathan Frazer brawled with Dominik Mysterio all the way to the ring before Rhea Ripley made the save.
  

Women's Breakout: Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker

While Jaida Parker showed a bit of her offense early, she was quickly overwhelmed by Katrina Petrovic, who took the win with a spin kick and leg chinlock submission.

This was mercifully short. Both women did not look ready for this spot and would have been better served working with a better prepared performer. This is the problem with a tournament like this, though. It can expose the inexperienced.

Both could have potential down the line. Petrovic is clearly athletic, but she will be overwhelmed next to the more polished Lola Vice.

Result

Petrovic def. Parker by submission to advance to the semifinals of the Women's Breakout Tournament.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• Petrovic did a completely unnecessary somersault into an awkward foot choke in the corner. She used her foot to throw Parker to the mat and then hit a pair of spin kicks.
• Fallon Henley tried to give a pep talk to the women in the tournament backstage, but Tiffany Stratton interrupted to insult her.
  

Lyra Valkyria vs. Tegan Nox (w/ Natalya)

Tegan Nox came out swinging, nearly taking the win off a pair of Molly Go Rounds, but Chelsea Green and Piper Niven appeared.

The distraction allowed Lyra Valkyria to steal the victory with a roundhouse kick.

While Nox and Natalya brawled with the women's tag team champions, The Valkyrie talked about her opportunity with Becky Lynch, who appeared on the titantron to warn her opponent that she was good but not as good as the NXT women's champion.

It is great to see Nox working serious matches finally. She showed some interesting chemistry with The Valkyrie that should be explored further.

It got a little sloppy down the stretch, and the interference broke up the action, but this was still an exciting showcase of two great rising stars. Following up with a memorable Lynch promo made for an even better segment.

Valkyria has a major test next with The Man. She is unlikely to win, but a strong showing could put her in the same conversation as Tiffany Stratton for a main roster call-up.

She needs to iron out the rough edges of her offense, and facing the best WWE has to offer will help her with that. She has top-woman potential in the coming years.

Result

Valkyria def. Nox by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Right before the match, Natalya found Nox in the locker room and said she would support her.
  
• Both women hit impressive strikes, including an impactful running uppercut from Nox and a series of shoot kicks from Valkyria.
• The Welsh wrestler nearly took the win with a release suplex and a running corner crossbody.

Shotzi vs. Kiana James

Kiana James had an answer to each big move from Shotzi, but she could not put her away.

Roxanne Perez pulled a brick out of James' bag and set up a distraction. Shotzi blasted her with the bag and then connected on a diving senton to win.

Shotzi remains an in-ring work in progress, who could use more opportunities in NXT like this. This was overlong and lacked heat, but both women showed more than they typically do in the ring.

James can pick up the pace more than she did here, and the amount of time they got did not translate to a successful match.

Hopefully, the upcoming James vs. Perez bout will showcase both women better than recent booking has.

Result

Shotzi def. James by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• During rehab, Mr. Stone talked to Von Wagner about not giving up. Later, Stone stepped up to Bron Breakker and challenged him at Halloween Havoc.
  
• Shotzi screamed in James' face, which seemed to set her opponent on edge.
• Shotzi told Perez that The Prodigy had grown up since they last teamed together. They agreed to spin the wheel, setting up Perez vs. James in a Devil's Playground match.
  

Women's Breakout: Arianna Grace vs. Brinley Reece

Arianna Grace made her first NXT appearance since an injury back in 2022, and she made the most of the moment. She poked Brinley Reece in the eye and hit a twisting slam to win.

This was better than the other Women's Breakout Tournament match of the night, but it helps that Grace is TV-ready. It is a shame she was sidelined for so long, but her presentation has significantly improved.

The match itself wasn't long, but Breece might not be ready for much more at this stage. Hopefully, Jakara Jackson recovers quickly as she was a wild card for this tournament before her injury.

Result

Grace def. Reece by pinfall to advance to the semifinals of the Women's Breakout Tournament.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• Before the match, Grace talked about the injury to Jackson and accepting a bye, but Reece arrived to challenge her.
• In a pre-taped interview, Reece cut a quick promo on her opportunity.
• Meta-Four gave an update on Jackson's condition, with Noam Dar stating over the phone that she might lose her arm. McKenzie Mitchell reminded everyone that the injury did not require surgery.
  

No. 1 Contender for NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dijak

After Trick Williams was attacked backstage before the main event, this became the originally scheduled Triple Threat.

Baron Corbin reversed Feast Your Eyes into End of Days, but Carmelo Hayes caught him with Nothin' But Net to win.

This was so much better than anything else on the night. Every man worked this like it was the most important match of his career. In particular, Corbin worked faster than he ever has. It was absolute energy throughout.

It seems WWE has one more match planned for Hayes and Ilja Dragunov. If the teases during the show are any indication, it could set up Melo turning heel.

Both Corbin and Dijak were fresher opponents for The Mad Dragon, but this does not have to take either of those matches away. It just puts them on the back-burner for a later show.

Result

Melo def. Dijak and Corbin by pinfall to earn an NXT Championship match at Halloween Havoc.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• Corbin hit a second-rope diving clothesline on Melo. He rarely comes off the ropes.
• Hayes caught the discus big boot of Dijak while Corbin ran in. Dijak hit Corbin with a sit-out chokeslam followed by Melo superkicking Dijak for a near-fall.
• The night ended with Lyra Valkyria ripping a picture of her and Becky Lynch. Jade Cargill appeared on the screen, pointing at her watch.
  

Overall Show

After the biggest show in NXT history, the brand took a week off for the most part. The action was mostly forgettable, including multiple matches that were hardly worthy of television.

Luckily, the main event was stellar. Carmelo Hayes works so well with both Baron Corbin and Dijak, showcasing why all three should be main event staples for NXT until their eventual call-ups.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Tegan Nox was also a good match that led to a great Becky Lynch promo. That contest is easily the most exciting bout for next week's Halloween Havoc.

The problem NXT has right now is a lack of storytelling depth. Most of its key angles wrapped up around No Mercy. This show needed to jump-start more angles with Halloween Havoc around the corner, but it didn't.

Upcoming matches like Roxanne Perez vs. Kiana James and Blair Davenport vs. Kiana James have been rushed to stipulation finishes. The Family vs. Chase U is a fun diversion in the tag team division, but the champions still don't have a serious title rivalry.

With more attention on NXT than ever before, Halloween Havoc will need to rebound from a show that felt too much like NXT 2.0, which struggled to gain fan attention last year.

Overall Grade: D+